Chapter 21- His Marriage

Since I been married, the idea of marriage has become far more sacred to me. I find myself diligently praying for couples whose marriages are struggling and shedding tears over couples who are separating or getting a divorce. When I married my husband I made my promises to God. I have never even really thought of the promises Amos made to me, because I have always known that in light of the commitment I made to God, it was not about the promises made to me, but my commitment to the Lord in spite of anything life may throw at us. I try to always remember that God is faithful and perfect even when my husband is not.
Praying for my marriage is something I take very seriously. I know that for my husband and I to have a joyful marriage we need to remain focused on the Lord and each other. Putting others before yourself is a biblical principle that we so often forget to apply in our relationship with our spouse. My greatest prayers for our marriage have been, "Lord, help me to be less selfish. Help me to put my husbands needs before my own." Sometimes I say it through gritted teeth, but I know that God desires me to put others before myself.

Lord, I want to take this time to pray for my marriage. I pray that you would always protect us from neglect, adultery, and selfishness. Please let us always be on watch for anything that has the potential to harm or destroy our marriage. Let us be in continual prayer over such things. May we continue to never use the "d" word. That was some of the best advice ever given to us. We went into this marriage knowing that divorce was not an option. I pray we would always remember our commitment to God and each other. Help us to disregard any past hurts in our relationship or any others. Help us to never have unrealistic expectations of each other. I pray that we would guard our hearts and minds against anything that would threaten our marriage in any way. I pray we would always guard our minds against lusting, whether emotionally or physically, for other people. Help us to always only see each other. Help us to always be great friends and to desire understanding from each other. Help us to always seek first to understand and not to be understood. Please help us to let go of all immaturity, anger and unforgiveness. Help us to always set aside time to nurture our relationship. Let "date nights" always be a priority in our relationship. Help us to always put our relationship first so that our children can feel confidant in their security. We were both raised by single parents Lord, and because of that we have an even stronger desire to leave a legacy of love and faithfulness to our children and grandchildren. Let it be so, Lord. Thank you for the blessings of marriage. Help us to see the joy in being made perfect through our trials.